update: had the wrong end of the stick. Perhaps $path =~ s/^.*(\\|\/)//; is turning $path from a filehandle into a scalar? Suggest you use this syntax:

     $fh = $query->upload('uploaded_file');
     while (<$fh>) {
       print;
     }
[download]

update 2: OK, I've worked it out. You're passing the filenames from page to page in a hidden field, right? As soon as you pass them back to the client, they stop being filehandles, and are just scalars.

andy.